Lawyer Cecil Miller acts for ex-DPP Murgor as he testifies in Sh2.7b Anglo Leasing scandal

A precedent will be set today when Vice-President Moody Awori finally goes before a parliamentary watchdog committee for questioning over the Sh2.7 billion Anglo Leasing passports scandal.

He is expected at Parliament Buildings at 11 am, a day after the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) played out tapes of former ministers David Mwiraria (Finance) and Chris Murungaru (Transport) to former Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Philip Murgor. Mr Awori will become the first Vice President in Kenya’s history to appear before a House committee.

Sources said the committee wanted Mr Murgor to confirm the contents on the tapes which touched on cases related to Anglo Leasing which were being investigated while he was in office.

Mr Murgor, it was said, agreed with most of the contents in the tapes by former Ethics Permanent Secretary John Githongo who he worked closely with during his tour of duty.

Committee chairman Uhuru Kenyatta is said to have demanded that the former DPP be given State security due to the information he has.

“Mr Murgor has handled sensitive cases on Anglo Leasing and we feel that he needs State protection,” said the Kanu chairman.

While stating that they were making progress in their work, Mr Kenyatta said they are likely to recall some of the people who will appear before them as they prepare a report to be presented to Parliament.

They questioned why the Government had decided to provide security for former Permanent Secretaries Dave Mwangi and Zakayo Cheruiyot and not Mr Murgor.

Mr Murgor was invited as “a friend to the committee” since Mr Githongo had told them in London that they could get more information from the former DPP.

Mr Murgor arrived at Parliament Buildings at 2 pm accompanied by his lawyer, Mr Cecil Miller. He went straight into the session with PAC members until after 7 pm.

Mr Awori was summoned by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Samwel Ndindiri, who handed him a letter yesterday, asking him to go and respond to questions over the latest adverse evidence given by Mr Githongo.

Returned from London

The PAC returned from London last week, where they held a two-day session with Mr Githongo.

Mr Kenyatta described the evidence as “shocking” and which could lead to shedding more light on the Anglo Leasing scandal, which has undermined the Kibaki administration for the past three years.

Others who received summons from Mr Ndindiri were former Cabinet ministers Mwiraria and Murungi. They are also expected to appear before the committee today.

Former Transport Minister Chris Murungaru also received the summons and is expected to appear before the committee. The VP and the ministers are at the centre of a scandal for their alleged roles, either linked directly, or through attempts cover up the investigations, by Mr Githongo before he went to self-exile last year.

Sources said the VP, who was to appear before PAC yesterday afternoon, requested the committee to allow him to face it today, though the head of his Press Service, Mr Brown Kutswa, said it had been rescheduled.

“He wants to appear before the committee soonest and he was even ready today (yesterday),” he said.

Mr Kutswa had earlier said Mr Awori was to appear before PAC at 4.30 pm, a report that heightened anxiety in Parliament Buildings as MPs and journalists sat in wait for the VP to appear before the committee.

But at 5.10 pm, Mr Kutswa called again and said: “We are very sorry; it has been rescheduled to tomorrow at 11 am.”

Other reports indicated that Mr Mwiraria and Mr Kiraitu had requested the committee to allow them appear before it today, as they were out of Nairobi.

Mr Murgor has claimed the police ordered him to surrender his passport and gun after they got wind that he was to travel to London to testify before PAC’s session with Mr Githongo.

The passport has since been cancelled after he declined to surrender it.

On Monday, PAC questioned the Controller and Auditor General, Mr E.N. Mwai.

Sources who attended the meeting said Mr Mwai told PAC members that he had sent his special audit report on Anglo Leasing to the Finance ministry.

He is said to have asked the committee to get the report from the Finance Permanent Secretary Joseph Kinyua.

The committee also sought to find out from the Clerk of the National Assembly, why he had not sent out letters inviting Mr Awori, Mr Mwiraria, Mr Murungaru, and Mr Murungi, who were to be questioned over Anglo Leasing and associated scandals.

Letters were also to be sent to former PSs Joseph Magari (Finance) and Sylvester Mwaliko (Home Affairs), Zakayo Cheruiyot, a Mr Mwachofi and Mr Kinyua.

Sources told the Nation that Mr Ndindiri expressed his displeasure at the way some PAC members were handling its matters through the media.

The Clerk reminded PAC members that by their nature, parliamentary committee deliberations are held in camera, and that it was wrong for some committee members to disclose to the media PAC’s programme and what it had discussed.

According to Parliament’s rules, committees summon individuals through the Clerk.

In practice, those invited to appear before committees have a maximum of two weeks to prepare their evidence.

Committee members were also divided over the decision to summon Mr Awori, arguing that it would set a bad precedent.

Government MPs are said to have argued that summoning the VP would undermine his position as the Leader of Government Business in Parliament.

Parliament’s daily schedule of work is prepared by the House Business Committee, chaired by the Vice-President.

Those arguing against summoning Mr Awori said that the move would make it almost impossible for the VP to shepherd the all-powerful committee when Parliament resumes next month.

 




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